What you need to know about children's drawings and how to recognize disturbing moments

When do children start drawing? Probably as soon as they realize that they can hold a pencil in their hand. The speech of a small child is not yet sufficiently developed to colorfully describe his emotions, mood and feelings. Whereas a box of pencils and a sheet of paper is a suitable means of self—expression. 

What do children's drawings mean? What can the next "masterpiece" tell about the little artist? Let's figure it out.Sometimes drawings are just drawings

Do not take any children's scribbles as a kind of revelation.

Run with them to a psychologist to study and disassemble each squiggle in detail. Most often, children's drawings are just drawings. 

But how do you distinguish a meaningful drawing from an ordinary one? After all, chaotic blots on a sheet can sometimes mean tears, but more often — raindrops. Just ask the author what exactly he drew. 

To understand the psychology of children from drawings, let's give specific tasks:Draw your mood.

• How was your day? Put it on paper.
• Did you enjoy our trip? Draw her. 

Such works can become the subject of study, because the child will try to portray his emotions.Do you want to better understand the true needs of the child and the reasons for his behavior? Then register - at Dmitry Karpachev's transplant-free online master class "What every parent should know". Drawings depending on the age of the child

Kids don't draw like preschoolers, and absolutely not like teenagers.

With age, the lines become clearer, more details and different characters appear, the palette expands.

From 2 to 4 yearsThis is the age of knowing your capabilities and artistic experiments.

The kid puts a lot of pressure on the pencil — it turns out a clear, bright line. He waves his hand chaotically — "prickly" zigzags fill the area of the sheet. Makes dots — learns to draw flies. 

Without realizing it, children create images in the style of "casual realism". That is, their scribbles may resemble the outlines of an object. Although at the same time the author had no thoughts of drawing it.

From 4 to 7 yearsAt this age, children, as a rule, are already familiar with their environment and try to step a little further.

Drawing helps to comprehend what you have seen, heard or read. 

A characteristic feature of the creativity of preschoolers is an unrealistic image of objects. People resemble the well-known "stick-stick—cucumber" scheme, the sun in the sky looks more like a beetle, and the typewriter looks like a hat. 

The child grows up, and details appear in his drawings that help identify the image. The cat turns from a shapeless cloud into a creature with ears and a tail. The house acquires a clear geometry of the walls and roof, and the car — wheels, windows and headlights. 

From 8 years oldChildren's drawing is becoming more and more detailed.

Background objects appear. For example, a cow is now not just "hanging in the air", but grazing in a clearing with flowers. Mom is holding a purse in her hands. A seagull is hovering over the sea waves, and a tractor driver is sitting in the tractor cab. 

Images get more depth and realism. You can already catch the mood, shades of feelings and preferences of the author in them. Psychological drawings appear — one of the most accessible ways for children to express emotions. 

Learn how to raise a child so that he develops harmoniously and correctly - at Dmitry Karpachev's transplant-free online master class "What every parent should know".Right now, click on the "Register" button and get a gift.

Decoding the picture: what to pay attention to

Getting valuable information from a child's drawing is not so easy.

You need to know exactly what to look at. 

1. First impression.Without delving into the plot and details, analyze your feelings: surprise, delight, fear, depression...

What exactly did you feel when you looked at the drawing? Most likely, you consider the emotion that the author laid down. No wonder they say that the first impression is the most correct. 

2. What colors do you see in the picture?Green or blue — the child is balanced, he is doing well.

Yellow, orange — the baby is in a great mood, cheerful and cheerful. If dark shades prevail in children's drawings, it is not necessarily sadness or any psychological problems, but rather a desire for contrast, protest. 

3. Evaluate the degree of completeness of the drawing.If you asked a child to draw a forest, and he depicted only 2-3 trees, then such a drawing can be considered incomplete.

It is also indicated by broken or broken lines. What does this mean?

At least that the child is impulsive. This can be either a temporary state or a permanent one. Unfinished lines, as well as corrections, indicate self-doubt, timidity, fear of doing something wrong. 

4. What is the meaning of the drawing?Is this a snapshot of the moment or a reflection of the internal state?

It is necessary to draw a clear line between these concepts. Snapshots of the moment are what the child saw, remembered and depicted on paper. And psychological drawings have a deeper meaning — they express the feelings of the child, his relationships with family and friends, dreams and fears. 

What you can learn from a children's drawingConsider carefully the child's drawing: to understand what it means, pay attention to the size, location and coloring of the main elements.

Figures of people, fairy-tale characters, cartoon charactersLack of ears is a weak need or unwillingness to hear others.

• Absence of a mouth — the child is hiding something (consciously or unconsciously).
• Big hands with clear fingers — a high need for communication, aggressiveness. 
• The absence of arms or legs is a high dependence on relatives, immaturity of the personality or the inseparability of oneself from the mother.
• Lack of neck, asymmetry of limbs — impulsivity.
• The absence of eyes is anxiety. 
• Big teeth — anger, annoyance.

FamilyThe child is between the parents — a sense of security.

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• The child on the side — the relationship of the couple is more pronounced than the relationship of parents with the child.
• The figure of the child is much smaller than the figures of the parents — isolation from the family, depression. 
• One person is significantly higher than the others — this is how the child shows who he considers the head of the family.

TreeWell—developed, voluminous branches indicate extraversion - the need for contact with the outside world.

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• Small branches, a meager crown — tightness, low self-esteem.
• The presence of roots is anxiety, the need for protection. 
• The presence of leaves and fruits — developed imagination, flexible thinking, curiosity, activity.
• Birds flying over the crown — stress.

HouseThe presence of doors and windows, the path leading to the house are symbols of openness, curiosity, sociability.

• The child actively learns about the world, strives for new impressions.
• A chimney, a pot of flowers on the windowsill and other small details — a feeling of comfort, serenity.
• A small house in the corner of the sheet is a high self—criticism.
• The presence of houses nearby, if you were asked to draw 1 house, someone from the inner circle interferes with the child.

Decoding of a children's drawing on the theme "My family"This is the most informative story

. Even a cursory glance at such a drawing is enough to determine that something is wrong in the family of the little author. 

If a child draws mom in red, and dad has bulging eyes and big hands, this indicates the use of violence as an educational method. Moreover, on the part of mom, this is psychological influence, authoritarianism, and on the part of dad — physical punishment.

The absence of family members in the drawing means that the child has no emotional contact with them. The biggest head is at the smartest. And the most significant person is holding the child's hand. The first little artist will draw either himself or the one he loves the most. And the last one is the one to whom he treats neutrally. 

An elementary analysis of the children's drawing of the family will help determine the true relationship of the child with mom, dad, brothers and sisters. Sometimes his results surprise and even upset.

When should I contact a psychologistIn most cases, children's drawings do not cause concern.

Even the most terrible monsters and monsters are just a figment of a kid's wild imagination or an image of a cartoon character. Parents should be alerted by repeated scenes of violence, hints of suicide, strange inscriptions. The predominance of black in the drawings indicates depression, and red indicates anger, aggression. 

Special attention should be paid to teenagers. If a 14-year-old child draws blood, internal organs, murder scenes and this is combined with changes in behavior, signs of depression — contact a specialist to diagnose his psychological state.Also read: Depression in children: what should parents do_______

In the arsenal of psychologists and psychotherapists there are a number of projective techniques where the subject is asked to draw or finish something. So you can determine his values, personality characteristics and even intellectual abilities. 

And at the everyday level, children's drawings help parents understand their emotions and experiences. Use this tool to get to know your child better.Good luck! December 17th, 2020 2022-11-27 2020-12-17 Rate the article on a 5-point scale Did you like the article?